1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for imaging the internal part of a body, particularly for diagnostic imaging thereof. Particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for imaging the internal part of a body, particularly for diagnostic imaging thereof, comprising at least means for generating at least one type of waves or beams which are transmitted toward the body or the part thereof to be internally imaged and means for receiving said type of waves or beams transmitted by the body under examination or by the part thereof or deriving from the excitation of said part or body under examination, from the reflection and/or transmission and/or modification of waves, of the beams transmitted against said body under examination or the part thereof, there being provided means for uniquely relating the information of the waves or beams retransmitted by the body under examination or the part thereof, to a space position of an image unit element (so-called pixel or voxel) and means for reconstructing the image from the array of pixels or voxels obtained thereby, which relate the information of the received waves or beams to brightness and/or color characteristics of the individual pixels.
2. Description of Related Art
Such apparatuses are well-known and include ultrasound imaging apparatuses, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging apparatuses, X-Ray apparatuses, etc.
A particular kind of such medical examination devices, especially relating to nuclear magnetic resonance imaging devices, so called dedicated MRI devices are very interesting due to their low costs and their simple and cheap installation which do not give rise to problems as the one arising from a very high weight or the need of very large rooms which has also to be shielded against electromagnetic noise of the surrounding environment. Dedicated MRI devices are able to carry out imaging of limited body parts or anatomical districts and therefore often there is the need to have more than one device. Thus there is the need of further reducing their overall volume by effectively integrating the single parts forming this devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,717 deals with the hardware integration of MRI apparatuses by providing a hardware architecture which integrates a high amount of the hardware in a commercially available personal computer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,717 teaches to house the hardware of the apparatus in a dedicated console which is separated from the other parts of the apparatus. This has the drawback that a considerable amount of space is needed since the personal computer and at least the input devices and the monitor associated thereto needs a table or a furniture where the computer case and the said peripherals has to be placed.